The first-ever Exo Games bring together STEM student teams at the University of Central Lancashire, England, in a friendly head-to-head competition for wearable technology and ingenuity. The Exo Games are sponsored by ASTM International's Exo Technology Center of Excellence (ET CoE), and first- and second-place teams receive a cash prize.
The ET CoE recognizes the need to provide an opportunity for STEM students in Wearable Robotics and Human Interaction Technology to break out of their respective silos and network with peers, academics, and professionals. Students will also be exposed to the world of international standards. Test protocols created by ASTM Committee F48 on Exoskeletons and Exosuits will be used to structure the challenges and evaluation during the competition.
Each student team is expected to complete an exoskeleton for the competition that is compatible with current commercially available fall protection harnesses. The Exo Games will be divided into four main challenges:
- Main competition to build and test an exoskeleton device.
- Design competition to create a virtual model that can predict the static and dynamic fit of the design.
- Poster contest to publicize the team's work and illustrate how the design would be presented to a general audience unfamiliar with wearable technology.
- Presentation competition where teams give a brief overview of their design and development process.
If you're curious, you can find more detailed specifications for the 2023 Exo Games on the ET CoE's LinkedIn page: Link .
Important data:
It is important that teams considering participation in the 2023 Exo Games express their interest as soon as possible to the ET CoE Center of Excellence ( [email protected] ) communicate .
Key people:
The Exo Games will not take place without the support of ASTM International and key organizers: Matthew Dickinson, Senior Lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire; William Billotte, Executive Director of the Center of Excellence in Exo Technology; and Nora Nimmerichter, Operations Manager of the Technical Committee.
Rare opportunity:
In the past, exoskeleton technology competitions have been few and far between. The Cybathlon, WearRA Innovation Challenge, and Toyota Mobility Challenge do not exclude student teams, but they may end up competing against companies and professionals. The last Applied College Exoskeleton (ACE) Challenge was held in 2022, and there may not be another for some time. This leaves the Exo Games as a rare opportunity for students to collaborate and learn about this emerging technology within the guidelines set by the competition.
Real life applications
The exo games are designed to expose students to practical and realistic challenges and applications of exoskeleton technology. At the same time, the evaluation of the devices is based on ASTM International standards and work tasks. Below are the tasks expected of users of the wearables the teams are designing:
- Mobility challenge: getting up and walking.
- Transferring a load while simulating additional safety equipment (similar to a bomb squad suit or working in a radioactive environment).
- Palletizing of boxes, similar to a warehouse and other logistical environments.
- Dexterity test - can the exoskeleton user still perform fine manipulations or is their attention or fine hand movement hindered by the student's design device?
Exoskeleton devices in the competition are expected to cost less than $2,000 to build and challenge participants' knowledge of the human body and how it can be assisted in performing certain tasks.
Graduation:
If you are a university student (or an educator with students) with a passion for wearable technology, robotics, functional clothing, or physical augmentation of the human body, take your chance to participate in the Exo Games. Remember, the number of teams that can participate is limited and assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. So contact Exo Technology's Center of Excellence and secure your spot in the competition today!
Source: Events - Exo Technology Center of Excellence (etcoe.org)
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